Therapeutic Riding with Andrea Swenson
Experience the joy and freedom of riding horses
Sandy Jones, the director of Free Rein, was honored as an Everyday Hero by KXLY April 23 on the 6:30 news. It was filmed back in March when we first started riding and it happened to be a day I was there; so mom and I are in the video too. It is a fantastic video and is a really big honor for Sandy! You can watch it by checking out the following link: http://www.kxly.com/news/spokane-news/Everyday-Heroes-Sandy-Jones/-/101214/19870238/-/wf08icz/-/index.html
My name is Andrea Swenson and I live in Spokane, Washington. I am 27 years old and have a disability called cerebral palsy which affects my muscles.
Sitting up straight is hard for me. I use a wheelchair and a Vanguard which is a communication device.
It felt incredible when I started participating with Free Rein Therapeutic Riding in June of 2010. I am able to ride once a week which has helped my neck, back and abdominal muscles; and my back pain has not been as severe. Riding also has helped my flexibility, making a lot of other activities easier.
I can hardly wait each week for my next horse riding adventure. Riding is so different than using my wheelchair. It makes me feel in control and free.
This is where I ride in Spokane.
Right now there are four horses and my favorite is Chester. He is very gentle, so I don’t have to worry about being bounced around too much.
The staff are very helpful too. They have a lot of experience in Therapeutic Riding, so they know all the right things to do to keep me safe. I like them all and they make it so much fun to go there.
The “hippos” are such big animals. Sometimes they scare me. If they ever stepped on me it would definitely hurt. But I trust them and they know that they are helping me.
Maybe we could ride together some time.
WOW! This is very cool! Andrea, you looked like a pro up on that horse; nice to hear from you too Marsha. It looked like March…cloudy and foggy and cold!
Too bad this wasn’t after you received your bound book…It would have been such a good opportunity to get pre-sales for your book 🙂
I’ve been in Seattle for a couple of days for staff meeting; I will talk with you soon.
Jeanne
*This will be good to show at your presentation for the National Therapeutic Rec Convention; I’m checking on it!
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